Record cleaning device



c. E. WATTS 3,534,425

RECORD CLEANING DEVICE Filed Dec. 11, 1968 1/1 11/ [1-1/1 II I 1/] "null" 3,534,425 RECORD CLEANING DEVICE Cecil Ernest Watts, deceased, late of Sunbury-on-Thames, England, by Agnes Helena Watts and Susan Agnes Cecilia Watts, Sunhury-on-Thames, and John Prys William, Kingston-upon-Thames, England, joint executors, assignors to Cecil E. Watts Limited, Sunbury-on- Thames, Middlesex, England Filed Dec. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 785,858 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 21, 1967, 58,2 16/ 67 Int. Cl. A46b 11/00 US. Cl. 15-160 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A record cleaning device comprising an elongated brush composed of closely packed synthetic filaments and a container for the brush, the container having a moistening pad which, when the container is closed is in contact with the tips of the brush filaments, the pad comprising a sponge body, a perforated cover over the face of the body adjacent the brush filaments, and a sheet of plush mate rial between the cover and the sponge body.

The present invention relates to the cleaning of gramophone records.

With ultra-light pick-ups operating at stylus pressures of less than two grams and high fidelity amplifiers and loudspeakers reproducing a wide frequency range it is essential to maintain absolute cleanliness of the record if background noise is to be avoided. The high-purity materials used in the records themselves make this more difiicult since they are more prone to electrostatic charges which attract dust.

It is known to use cleaning devices in the form of cloths or sponges which are moistened to facilitate removal of dirt from the record surface. These generally have the disadvantage of having to be moistened by the user and in consequence becoming so moist as to deposit water on the record surface which will interfere with reproduction of the recorded sound and leave a deposit in the record grooves when it dries out. They also tend to become dirty rapidly, after which they are no longer useful for cleaning and may in fact be positively harmful in spreading accumulated dirt around the record grooves.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a record cleaning device comprising an elongated brush composed of closely-packed synthetic filaments and a container for the brush, the container having a moistening pad which when the container is closed is in contact with the tips of the brush filaments, the pad comprising a sponge body, a perforated cover over the face of the body adjacent the brush filaments, and a sheet of plush material between the cover and the sponge body.

With this device the brush is stored in the container under such conditions that when withdrawn for use it is slightly moist. The user has only to moisten the pad from time to time, preferably with distilled water. To clean the brush it can be drawn across the perforated cover of the moistening pad so that the dirt is transferred to the "United States Patent ice plush material and when this becomes too dirty it can easily be removed and washed or replaced.

Conveniently the moistening pad is contained in a lid of the container and the perforated cover is flush with the edge of the lid when open. The brush is placed in the container with the tips of its filaments outwards and when the lid is closed the perforated cover comes into contact with the filament tips.

Preferably the tips of the filaments are tapered so that they penetrate to the bottom of the record grooves.

The invention will now be described in more detail with the aid of an example illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a record cleaning device in accordance with the invention with the container lid open and parts of the moistening pad cut away to show its construction,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the brush and container in the closed condition, and

FIG. 3 is a detail of the moistening pad on an enlarged scale.

The device shown in the drawing includes an elongated brush having closely packed synthetic filaments 10 mounted in a wooden holder or brush back 11 by means of a glue or resin. The brush is about four inches long and a quarter of an inch wide and is composed of filaments of 3 or 5 thousandths of an inch in diameter and having tapered tips. The free length of the filaments is about half an inch.

The brush is accommodated in the body 12 of a container of synthetic plastics material. Also accommodated in a separate end compartment 13 is a stylus cleaner 14 composed of plush 15 wrapped about a holder. A lid 17 is hinged to the body 12 of the container and is fitted with a snap-on catch 18. Within the lid 17 is a mounting pad which consists of a block 19 of sponge or synthetic foam, a sheet 20 of synthetic plush material and a perforated cover 21. The perforated cover is formed of a sheet of synthetic material such as PVC or cellulose acetate with a thickness of, for example, ten thousandths of an inch. The perforations are of relatively large diameter, up to about one sixteenth of an inch. The sheet is of a length such that it covers the face of the moistening pad and is folded round behind the sponge block 19. The plush sheet 20 is disposed between the block 19 and the perforated cover 21 with the pile outwards towards the cover 21 as can be seen in FIG. 3.

The dimensions of the container are such that when the lid 17 is closed the tips of the brush filaments 10 are resting against the perforated cover 21 of the moistening pad. Upon opening the container the brush can be taken out and because of the humid atmosphere in which it has been maintained is sufficiently moist to facilitate the removal of dust from an electrostatically-charged record. The dust can then be removed from the brush by drawing the brush across the perforations in the cover of the moistening pad before the brush is returned to the container. When the plush sheet is dirty it can easily be removed for washing or replacement.

What is claimed is:

1. A record cleaning device comprising an elongated brush composed of closely packed synthetic filaments and a container for the brush, the container having a moisten- 1 References Cited I ingpad Whiiillf Whl'f"fli"'fifziifil" is'clbs'd'i's"iii'doi-F' W i tact with the tips of the brush filaments, the pad com- UNITED STATES PATENTS prising a sponge body, a perforated cover over the face 114101660 3/1922 'Duclos 15 160' 0f the body adjacent the brush filaments, and a sheet of 1444236 2/1923 Cook 15 160 X plush material between the cover and the sponge body. 11/1960 Taylor? 15-118 X 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container 3428988 2/1969 15-160 has a lid within which the moistening pad is received, the FOREIGN PATENTS perforated cover being flush with the edge of the lid when 1,225,407 9/ 1966 Germany.

open. i 10 3. A device as claimed inclaim 1 in which the tips of WALTER SCHEEL, PflmaTY Examlnel the filaments are tapered. 1 L. G. MAC-HLIN, Assistant Examiner 

